Feeling stuck? It's time to awaken your Root Chakra - in 6 easy steps!

Ah, the root chakra - when the base is not balanced, mind and body feel just...well...meh...

Lately, far too many thoughts and ideas are stuck in my head without ever being materialized and I tend to procrastinate far more than usual. Sounds familiar?

Well, if you can relate to one of the following:

- Juggling five different to-do lists
- Multi-tasking your way through the day but never actually finishing one single project
- Having panic attacks when deadlines are close
- Feeling insecure or not sure which path to take

...then it's definitely time to awaken your root chakra!

The Wellness Curator...

Print by Longfellowdesigns

Yesterday these lyrics by the Rolling Stones popped up in my head and I sort of started meditating over it ever since. Do you get what you need instead of what you want right now? Think about it - once you embark on a journey of self-reflection you might just find new horizons opening up for you!

The Wellness Curator...

Dreamcatcher

"It is through your body that you realize you are a spark of divinity" - B.K.S. Iyengar

Viola's Power Smoothie Recipe

How to start your work week energized, refreshed, nourished and healthy? That's right - with a power smoothie! I'm a total sucker for smoothies of all kinds (yep, I also like those green ones with spinach). Usually I have one of those yummy vitamin drinks every day but unfortunately - no surprise there - they are off the menu during my holistic detox too. That's why I really look forward to the "After-Detox-Phase" where you slowly re-introduce other treats foods to your body within 7 days. Of course I would like to start off my day with something healthy yet delicious.

On my BYW-course I met the lovely Viola who not only writes about the beautiful things in life and family, but also posts many yummy recipes on her great blog "Kikabu". So she is the right person when it comes to writing about power smoothies. And today she shares her recipe:

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Mamasan wants you to spaaahhhh!

Are you the type of person who loves to subscribe to various online travel sites just to get that awesome, limited travel package deal to Thailand? Or are you constantly checking out at least three different group buying sites so you definitely won't miss out on any special offer by your favorite brand?

Current Objects of Bliss...

My objects of bliss for this week are things that really help me through my detox and yoga challenge - simply can't do without them!

Here we go:

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The Joy of Giving No. 3: DIY Turmeric Body Mask

Well, I have to admit I postponed this blog post to see what happens on this special Friday....so far, I'm still alive and kicking and the weather gods have just surprised me with light snowfall - what else can you wish for Christmas?

Since Christmas Eve is still "on", there's enough time for organizing or making last minute gifts. Today's DIY recipe is a wonderful, easy peasy Turmeric Body Mask. Why turmeric? This yellow spice does not only do wonders to your health but really improves your skin: it helps reduce pigmentation and the appearance of acne, increases elasticity and just makes your skin glow!

The Joy of Giving No. 2: DIY Pillow Oil

While family and friends were busy baking delicious Christmas cookies these days, I spent most of my evenings blending oils, creams, inhalators and body masks. So instead of vanilla, chocolate and sugar scents, our apartment was filled with Jasmine, Rose, Myrtle and Bergamot fragrances - very calming and soothing!

So, my DIY Christmas gift idea for today is a lovely pillow oil: just a few drops onto the pillow at night and your loved ones will sleep like a baby. Alternatively or simultaneously, this oil blend can also be applied on to the chest or neck area for extra relaxation.

Tea & Talk: Aromatherapist Shireen

Christmas is in exactly two weeks, so I thought it would be nice to give myself and of course you, my lovely readers, a pre-Christmas present! Yay! I'm very excited to announce that my wonderful aromatherapy teacher Shireen Calucin has agreed to sit down and share some of her vast knowledge with me.

Why I love Thai Massages

{Nuad Thai}

Are you feeling the Holiday stress already? I do, but I think it's positive stress: crafting Christmas presents, scheduling Christmas parties and drafting my travel itinerary for Europe (tips for Berlin, anyone?) - all while humming the "Driving home for Christmas" tune. But recently my body gave me subtle signs of exhaustion with a cough and runny nose here and there. So, it's time for a break. My body requests exclusive pampering and undivided attention. After all, the coming days will be even more stressful.

Tea & Talk: Personal Trainer Lory

My little chat with the gorgeous Lory - my dear friend and kick-ass drill instructor - is the first of my new interview series where I meet up with people who inspire me to live a healthy, balanced and blissful life.

With a background in the fast and merciless fashion industry, Lory soon realized her true passion came to life when she was competing in ultra endurance races across the mountains of Hong Kong. So she traded handbags for backpacks and is now happily torturing her clients with burpees and cruel ab exercises. But they are oh so effective! Being very knowledgable about nutrition and healthy weight-loss, she also convinced me to go Paleo. I still remember when we were casually talking about our breakfast habits: I was gushing over my daily Viennese brekkie (coffee with toast, butter and jam) when Lory suddenly turned very serious and said: "This is not really healthy you know". Well, a in-depth talk about health, nutrition and exercise followed which left me inspired to change my eating habits.

Last week we met for a quick cuppa tea to talk more about her favorite healthy stuff:

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Yoga home practice: From procrastinator to addict

Photo credit: Yogaglo

For many years, I haven't been very keen on home yoga practice. My mantra was procrastination. I'd always find excuses for not rolling out my mat, even on weekends when it was really easy for me to squeeze in a nice, relaxing hour of yoga. Although I had tons of magazines giving me suggestions of  yoga sequences, it wasn't quite motivating for me to read first and then practice. I'd usually read the sequence, turn the page and keep on reading for another half an hour until every inch of motivation was gone. Even yoga dvd's became so boring after a while as I repeated the same sequence over and over again.

Sounds familiar?

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My Sunday: 108 Sun Salutations for Charity and a beautiful sunset

Wer hätte gedacht, dass ich jemals 108 Sonnengrüße in einem Stück vollbringe? Freiwillig sicher nicht, aber für einen guten Zweck gerne: "Off the Mat, into the World" und Organisatorin Vennes Cheng luden zum Charity Yogathon Event, dessen Einnahmen Opfern sowie Überlebenden von Zwangsprostitution in Indien und auf der ganzen Welt zugute kommen.

click below to view in English 

DIY: My top remedy for neck & shoulder pain

self massage photo credit

Today is world arthritis day. Around this time last year, my doctor told me the shocking news that I - having just turned 31 - was suffering from early stage cervical osteoarthritis. At first I thought she had mixed up my X-rays. I mean seriously - arthritis is what old people have, like 60+ year olds or my grandma, right? 

But then it suddenly kind of made sense to me: this ongoing neck and shoulder pain, occasionally spreading out to my chest, stiffness of joints especially in the mornings - there had to be an underlying cause for these symptoms. One night, I could barely lift my left arm, I was crying because the pain was so excruciating. It was this incident that forced me to do a checkup.

"It will only get worse if you don't start doing something about it immediately!", my doctor warned me. So, how to prevent my neck and shoulder pain from becoming worse?

Blogger Glück // Blogger Bliss

...ein relativ unbedeutendes Ereignis im Blogger-Universum, aber ein großer Schritt für mich: mein geheimer Traum vom eigenen, kleinen Blog wird Wirklichkeit. Lange geplant, oft verworfen aber nie vergessen war die Idee, meine Interessen & Entdeckungen in einem Online-Journal zu sammeln und mit Freunden sowie weiteren Wellness-Fans zu teilen. Ich habe ja das große Glück, in einer Stadt zu leben, wo sich asiatische und westliche Heilmethoden treffen, sogar teilweise ergänzen. Mein Blog ist daher mein kleiner Reisebegleiter auf meinem Weg zu einem Leben voll Wohlbefinden, Ausgeglichenheit, Glück und Zufriedenheit....mit vielen Massagen und Verwöhnprogrammen! Ich bin ein Spa-Junkie :) 

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